Adopted at the University Senate on 30 September 2010 Adopted at the Member Faculty Senate on 29 September 2010

A student shall be promoted to 2nd year if they collect a total of at least 45 ECTS during their 1st year of studies. A student may also be promoted to the higher year if, for justified reasons, they had not meet all the study obligations referred to in the first paragraph. Reasons considered justified are laid down in the Statute of the University of Maribor.

The program provides the education of experts for the broadest range of posts in the public and private business sectors. Graduates will be employed in various companies, especially those dealing with tourism as their primary activity. They will be able to work in the fields of research, planning, and development of tourism. They will also have the competencies to perform the work of governance and management of major tourism companies. In the area of the public sector or in services, in particular, in the local government, they will be able to perform various posts in the management of regional destinations and local tourist organizations, as well as coordination of activities among the tourist destinations within the system. Graduates of the program can be employed in specific research and development centers in the field of the public administration, especially for the areas which are actively involved in the creation and supply of tourist products (Tourism and internationalisation directorate at the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, related posts at Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Ministry of Culture, etc.). Further segmentation and rapidly changing demands for tourism products constantly enhance employment opportunities for highly qualified professionals in the field of tourism.

Examination methods are defined in the syllabus of each course and include: • written examination, • oral examination, • term paper or independent seminar assignment, • oral presentation, • practical tasks, • simulated active discourse, • project tasks, • active work in seminars: submitting and presenting tasks, • defence of term paper and diploma thesis.

The basic objective of the 2nd cycle programme: ‘Tourism: Experiences and Destinations’ is the in-depth education and training of development and management personnel for all the structures of the tourism economy and the public sector areas where they deal with tourism. These is personnel who must manage and resolve development issues in the tourism working process and be able to implement their knowledge for the optimal functioning of a tourism organization as part of the tourism system. As to content, the objectives of the study of tourism are: • In-depth tourism research: supported by a critical analysis of the impact of tourism and its positioning in the digitalization and experience economy; • Innovative design of tourist experiences: supported by knowledge of global best practices and successful business decision-making; • Strategic planning of destination development: supported by the awareness of the responsibility of tourism and the importance of participation by all tourist actors. These objectives ensure that graduates can achieve the theoretical knowledge and its practical application as specified by the general and subject-specific competences set out in the proposed programme of study.

The general competences of 2nd cycle graduates of the ‘Tourism Destinations and Experiences’ programme include, in particular: • ability to make strategic decisions to support business decision-making, • ability to independently use acquired theoretical knowledge to solve problems in practice, • ability to make business decisions based on thorough research, • critical and self-critical assessment in business decision-making, • communication abilities and skills, in particular continuous communication in the international environment in the field of tourism, • ability to work and create in the international environment by being familiar with global best practices, • ability to promote the principles of sustainable development with equal emphasis on all three dimensions: the environment, economic and social, • ability to use quantitative and qualitative methods of collecting and analysing data, • commitment to professional ethics in respect of all stakeholders, • autonomy and confidence in professional work, • being ready to cooperate and work as part of a team, • innovation in finding new business solutions, • ability to manage tourist systems.

Their subject-specific competences will include, in particular: • the ability to analyse, synthesize and anticipate solutions and consequences in the functioning of tourist organizations and destinations for the sustainable development of destinations and the well-being of local people, employees and guests, • knowing how to manage tourist organizations, destinations and experiences, • analysis of trends in tourism, with an emphasis on digitalisation, the experience economy, and the requirements of responsible tourism, • understanding the basic concepts of planning complex social networks to facilitate cooperation by and involvement of social actors in the development of tourism at the organizational, local and regional level, • understanding the basis and more complex concepts in the field of logistics processes in tourism, • analysis of guest needs and integration of tourist needs into innovative integrated tourist products, • understanding the financial analysis of a your own business idea, • understanding organisation models of contemporary tourist organizations and tourism investment, • knowledge of strategic planning of marketing communication with an emphasis on digitalization in tourism, • ability to deal with practical problems of process management in modern organizational systems, • ability to understand the elementary concepts related to consumer needs, motives and behaviour research for the purpose of marketing tourist services, • analysis of the political aspects of tourism with the aim of systematically understanding political and tourism events and processes at the level of local, national, European and global tourism policies.

"Entry requirements: 1. Completed 1st cycle study programme in one of the relevant fields of expertise: 1013 (Hotel and Catering Industry), 1015 (Travel, Tourism, Leisure), 0388 (Social Sciences), 0488 (Business and Administration), 0416 (Sales), 0414 (Marketing and Advertising), 0413 (Management and Governance), 0417 (Working Life), 0314 (Geography). 2. Completed 1st cycle study programme from other fields of expertise, provided that prior to enrolment courses essential for the continuation of studies were completed to the extent of 10–60 ECTS credits, which the applicant may complete during their 1st cycle studies, in upskilling programmes, or by taking differential exams prior to enrolling into the first year of the study programme. The following courses are mandatory: Introduction to Tourism (6 ECTS) and Destination Management (6 ECTS). 3. Completed higher professional study programme adopted before 11 June 2004, in one of the relevant fields of expertise: 1013 (Hotel and Catering Industry), 1015 (Travel, Tourism, Leisure), 0388 (Social Sciences), 0488 (Business and Administration), 0416 (Sales), 0414 (Marketing and Advertising), 0413 (Management and Governance), 0417 (Working Life), 0314 (Geography). 4. Completed higher professional study programme adopted before 11 June 2004, in other fields of expertise, provided that prior to enrolment courses essential for the continuation of studies were completed to the extent of 10–60 ECTS credits, which the applicant may complete during their 1st cycle studies, in upskilling programmes, or by taking differential exams prior to enrolling into the first year of the study programme. The following courses are mandatory: Introduction to Tourism (6 ECTS) and Destination Management (6 ECTS). 5. Completed academic study programme adopted before 11 June 2004, in one of the relevant fields of expertise: 1013 (Hotel and Catering Industry), 1015 (Travel, Tourism, Leisure), 0388 (Social Sciences), 0488 (Business and Administration), 0416 (Sales), 0414 (Marketing and Advertising), 0413 (Management and Governance), 0417 (Working Life), 0314 (Geography). As a rule, such an applicant will receive 60 ECTS for the study programme, and can enrol in the second year of study if the recognised courses meet the transition conditions laid down in the accredited study programme. 6. Completed academic study programme adopted before 11 June 2004, in other fields of expertise as defined in indent 5. Such an applicant will receive up to 60 ECTS for the study programme, and can thus enrol in the relevant year of study. 7. Completed higher professional study programme and study programme leading to a specialisation, both adopted before 11 June 2004, in one of the relevant fields of expertise: 1013 (Hotel and Catering Industry), 1015 (Travel, Tourism, Leisure), 0388 (Social Sciences), 0488 (Business and Administration), 0416 (Sales), 0414 (Marketing and Advertising), 0413 (Management and Governance), 0417 (Working Life), 0314 (Geography). As a rule, such an applicant will receive 60 ECTS for the study programme, and can enrol in the second year of study if the recognised courses meet the transition conditions laid down in the accredited study programme. 8. Completed higher professional study programme and study programme leading to a specialisation, both adopted before 11 June 2004, in other fields of expertise: Such an applicant will receive up to 60 ECTS for the study programme, and can thus enrol in the relevant year of study. Applications will be examined by the FT UM Study Affairs Committee, determining the extent and type of courses eligible for recognition and the extent and type of the courses missing."

The selection of candidates for enrolment in the 2nd cycle program ‘Tourist destinations and Experiences’ shall take into account the students’ performance in the 1st cycle studies: – Average grade: 60% — Diploma thesis grade: 40% If a diploma thesis is not part of the student’s previous studies, the other criteria shall represent 100% of performance.

According to the Criteria for Transferrals, the students who had studied in the following programmes are eligible to transfer to the 2nd cycle programme ‘Tourist Destinations and Experiences’: hotel and F&B industry, travel, tourism, leisure, social sciences, business and administration, sales, marketing and advertising, management and governance, working life, geography. They are eligible for a transfer if upon the completion of their previous studies they display comparable competences and if, under the Criteria for Transferrals, they are recognised to have completed at least a half of all obligations – in terms of the ECTS – from the 1st cycle studies which relate to the mandatory subjects of the other programme. Depending on the extent of the recognized obligations from the prior programme of studies in the Republic of Slovenia or abroad, a student may enrol in the same or higher year of the programme ‘Tourism’. The recognition process will identify students’ completed study obligations, which can be fully or partially recognized, and will set out the study obligations these students have to carry out if they wish to complete their studies under the new programme of studies.

The recognition of knowledge and skills acquired before enrolment is regulated in accordance with the Rules of Knowledge and Skills in the Programmes at the University of Maribor. Knowledge and skills that students acquire in the course of their 2st cycle education process prior to enrolment, in different forms of formal education and as testified by the relevant certificates and other documents, may be recognised. The scope and content of the work invested shall be evaluated by the ECTS system up to a maximum of 15 ECTS in the context of optional courses. Completed obligations from informal education or professional work (project, detailed study, publications, research and other copyright work) may also be recognised in 2nd cycle studies provided students submit the relevant documents. The scope and content of the work involved shall be evaluated by the ECTS system up to a maximum of 10 ECTS, which may replace the obligations in the optional courses of the programme.

Students complete their studies when they meet all the obligations of the programme and thus collect at least 120 ECTS.